


The Rift

by haikukitten



Category: Legion of Superheroes
Genre: M/M, Rape, Rape Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-18
Updated: 2011-01-23
Packaged: 2017-10-14 21:21:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikukitten/pseuds/haikukitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Lyle Norg from an alternate reality finds himself in the Rebooted 31st century and sets his sights on this reality's Querl Dox. Lyle Norg/Querl Dox. Legion of Superheroes Reboot. Rape/Noncon</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Rift  
> By: Haiku
> 
> Fandom: Legion of Super-Heroes Reboot  
> Main Characters: Brainiac 5, Lyle Norg (Alternate Universe), Invisible Kid  
> Pairing: Nonconsensual Lyle Norg/Brainiac 5
> 
> Rating: NC 17  
> Warnings: Noncon, violence, dark themes
> 
> Summary: Partners in crime, Querl Dox and Lyle Norg, create a rift that sends Lyle into another dimension, where his partner is a hero known as Brainiac 5. He decides to take advantage of this new Querl.
> 
> Notes: The Brainiac 5 featured here is Reboot’s B5, and the Lyle featured in this chapter is from an alternate dimension of my creation. This was written in response to a request on the DC livejournal kink meme. For those who don’t know, Brainiac 5 = Querl Dox and Invisible Kid = Lyle Norg.
> 
> This will be at least a 2-part story, perhaps more, depending on where it takes me.

 

 **The Rift**

 **Part I**

 _When routine bites hard, and ambitions are low._

 _And resentment rides high, but emotions won’t grow._

 _And we’re changing our ways, taking different roads._

 _Love, love will tear us apart._

 **  
_Love Will Tear Us Apart, Jose Gonzalez_   
**

 

Lyle Norg was a certified genius and a master at manipulating any situation to his favor. At fifteen, he’d been arrested for tampering with election polls during an important election on Earth (a job he’d been hired for at a handsome price), and sentenced to five years in prison, but instead the Legion had intervened. Well, he said intervened, but he really meant that they’d offered to break him out if he’d join their team.

 

The Legion was a really great establishment, in Lyle’s opinion. They were a bunch of super powered youths who didn’t let anyone mess with them. They roamed around the universe, doing as they pleased, and no law enforcement in the United Planets could stop them. Of course he’d been more than willing to skip a prison sentence in favor of messing around in space.

 

With a maniacal partner in crime, one Querl Dox, the experiments he pursued in the Legion’s laboratory often had rather… explosive effects. Sprock, Querl really knew how to throw a party. It was just too bad the saucy Coluan wasn’t interested in a little _fun_. Lyle spent a lot of his time fantasizing about all the things he’d love to do to his partner. Querl spent a lot of his time giving Lyle the finger.

 

That, however, was not the problem. The problem was that he and Querl had been messing with the time stream (just a little, no big deal) and something had gone wrong. Now there was a rip in the fabric of the universe, and even _that_ was the least of Lyle’s problems. He’d slipped through that rip, thanks to his partner being made of fail and not keeping a good hold on him, and now he found himself on the floor of a lab that looked very similar to his own lab. And yet, somehow, it was not his own.

 

As he sat there, completely befuddled, a figure stepped into the laboratory and Lyle found himself looking at his partner standing in the doorway – and yet, he could tell, this wasn’t really his partner. Maybe it was the innocent posture this Coluan held himself in, or the soft expression on his face, but whatever it was, Lyle knew that this Querl Dox was not _his_ Querl Dox.

 

When Querl opened his mouth, his voice was all wrong too. Way too soft. “Lyle, what are you doing on the floor?” the Coluan questioned with an arched eyebrow. “It’s not very hygienic.”

 

Different, but somehow the same, Lyle thought as he stood from the floor and brushed himself off. The difference being, his Querl always had a fierce way of holding himself and a look in his eyes that kept Lyle from trying anything. This was a Querl with no defenses.

 

Ah, so this was an alternate reality. That made more sense.

 

“Just doing some alternative mind exercises,” Lyle replied casually, already trying to decide his first move. He wasn’t worried about getting back to his reality. His Querl would find him quickly enough – he always did, even if he professed to hate Lyle with a passion.

 

Querl walked past him with barely a glance and set about checking various experiments in the lab, adjusting temperatures and measuring progress. Lyle had always loved watching Querl in his natural environment. He’d always wondered what it would be like to pin Querl down to his worktable and dominate the arrogant sprock until he bent to Lyle’s will.

 

“You know you’re incredibly attractive, right?” Lyle purred as he followed after the Coluan. He wasn’t sure what to think about the skintight uniform Querl was wearing, but at least it didn’t leave much to the imagination. He was used to seeing Querl in corduroy and a lab coat that covered absolutely everything up. But right now, he could see Querl’s rather fantastic shape in full detail.

 

“Excuse me?” Querl glanced back at him with a frown. “Lyle, stop messing around, we have work to do. I was just given an assignment by Quantum Kid. There seems to be a small wormhole of some sort that could possibly lead into an alternative reality. We need to contain it as quickly as possible.”

 

Lyle smirked to himself. Obviously, he couldn’t actually let Querl contain the wormhole. Now he had a reason to _distract_ Querl for a while. How could he pass up this opportunity? This Querl was probably as virginal as his own Querl, unfamiliar with the touch of a lover. It just wasn’t right that something so pure existed in any reality. He had to spoil it properly.

 

He approached Querl from behind quietly, slipping his hands around the Coluan to grasp the buckle of Querl’s belt. He was definitely familiar with this belt. It looked just like the one his Querl wore and it was one of the things that had always stood in Lyle’s way before. No force field was stopping him this time.

 

“Lyle!” The Coluan jerked violently when he felt Lyle’s hands on his belt buckle. “What are you doing?!”

 

“Hey, calm down,” Lyle urged as he unbuckled the belt and let it slip to the floor, careful to keep his movements nonthreatening. “I’ve just been thinking a lot about you lately.”

 

He discreetly kicked the belt a couple feet away where it could pose no threat to his plan. His hands caressed Querl’s sides and he leaned in to press his lips against Querl’s neck. The other boy shivered beneath his touch. “You really are amazing,” Lyle murmured.

 

Apparently, a little sweet talk was all it took to make Querl melt. “This is… Invisible Kid, I’m not sure what to say. I… I didn’t expect… you had any interest…”

 

“I’ve always been interested in you,” Lyle replied sweetly, whilst inwardly cursing his counterpart in this universe. This place’s Lyle had such a completely willing Querl and had obviously never caught on. The kid had to be a moron.

 

That nickname was odd, though. Invisible Kid? Well, he could turn invisible, granted, but he was certain he’d never think of calling himself such a ridiculous codename. Was there nothing cleverer to use in this reality?

 

Still, it was kind of cute to hear Querl call him that. It added to that aura of innocence. He couldn’t wait to take that aura away.

 

“I – what are you doing?” Querl squirmed in his arms as Lyle’s lips pressed against the tender flesh of his neck. Lyle moved his hands up to start unzipping Querl’s uniform, revealing more and more delicious green skin. “This is… not very professional,” the Coluan murmured uncomfortably.

 

“Since when have you ever been worried about that?” Lyle couldn’t help saying. He nipped at Querl’s ear before the Coluan could object, successfully shutting the other boy up. “Don’t worry about it. Think of it as an experiment.”

 

This seemed to calm Querl a little. “Right – an experiment,” the other breathed softly. “That’s reasonable.”

 

No one had ever touched this boy like this before, Lyle was certain. Querl melted beneath his hands, making him wonder if it would be this easy in his own reality. A few nice words and a soft touch practically had this Querl lying back and spreading his legs; which, Lyle decided, would be the next step. He gently turned Querl around to face and kissed the Coluan deeply while he let his hands drift down to rest firmly on Querl’s rather impressive ass.

 

He’d never been turned on so fast in his life. Already, he was getting hard. He nudged his erection against Querl’s thigh suggestively and Querl gasped against his mouth. Lyle let his tongue sweep into the Coluan’s mouth. He moaned in pleasure. Querl was truly an overlooked gem. His mouth was blessedly sweet.

 

Querl pulled back from the kiss to look at Lyle’s face. He looked adorable with his lips bruised and swollen from kissing. “I don’t know how to do this,” he admitted to Lyle. He sounded so incredibly vulnerable and that it sent tingles through Lyle’s body and straight to his cock.

 

“That’s fine,” he whispered, and he started to slide Querl’s uniform off his shoulders, slowly baring a beautiful body to the elements. “I’ll teach you.”

 

He kissed Querl again and the Coluan grasped his hands, slowly intertwining their fingers. Lyle could feel a smooth ring on one of Querl’s fingers and he rubbed against it curiously.

 

Suddenly, Querl pulled back with a look of confusion on his face. “Where’s your flight ring, Lyle?” he demanded sharply, glancing at Lyle’s bare hand.

 

“Uh… left it on the dresser this morning,” Lyle lied easily, and he smiled disarmingly and leaned in for another kiss. “Relax, Querl, you’re just nervous.”

 

Querl froze in Lyle’s arms and Lyle got the sudden feeling that he’d done something seriously wrong.

 

“You never call me that,” the Coluan replied with a hard edge to his tone. “And why aren’t you wearing your uniform?” He began struggling to pull away from Lyle. “What is going on here?!”

 

Lyle gripped Querl’s shoulders tightly and grinned at him. “Looks like the jig is up,” he admitted carelessly. “I was hoping we could do this the easy way, but the hard way works just fine for me too.”

 

He shoved Querl against his worktable, carelessly upsetting the things strewn about it. Querl writhed in his grip, fighting to free himself. The Coluan was a lot stronger than he looked and Lyle found himself struggling to keep him down.

 

“Easy does it, buddy,” he cooed mockingly, tightening his grip on the other boy painfully. “This doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. I can be convinced to be considerate.”

 

Those words only made Querl struggle harder to escape. “Get off of me!” he snarled, suddenly a wild thing in Lyle’s hold, where before he’d been docile and submissive. “Who are you?! I demand that you release me this instant!”

 

Lyle chuckled to himself and flipped Querl around again, bending the Coluan over the table and pinning him there. “Has bossing me around ever worked for you in this reality, Querl? Because it never did where I’m from. Not that you’re the type to learn from your mistakes.”

 

“Sprock you!” Querl swore angrily. “Get your sprocking hands off of me!”

 

The Coluan was proving to be a bit of a handful. Lyle used his left arm to pin Querl’s head against the table while he awkwardly ripped a strip of material from Querl’s uniform to use to bind Querl’s wrists together. Feisty was one thing, but Lyle was never going to get anywhere if he didn’t subdue the Coluan somehow.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Querl moving his hand, lifting his “flight ring” to his face. He acted on instinct quickly, realizing it was probably a communication device of some sort, and slammed his fist down on the Coluan’s finger, shattering the ring and probably the bone too, judging by the way Querl shouted in pain.

 

“Trying to call for help?” Lyle sneered. He took advantage of Querl’s momentary shock to jerk Querl’s hands behind his back and bind then with the torn cloth. He ripped more cloth from Querl’s uniform and fashioned a gag out of it to keep the Coluan from yelling again and alerting someone to the situation.

 

Querl yelled behind the gag, but the sound was successfully muffled and Lyle set about tearing Querl’s uniform from his body. He slapped the Coluan’s rear sharply when pulled the uniform away, and chuckled. What a treat this was going to be.

 

“I’ve dreamed of doing this to you,” he crooned as he unzipped his jeans and freed his erection. “You liked all that sweet talking didn’t you? I’ll bet no one’s ever said anything like that to you before. Wanna’ know why, genius? No one gives a shit about you, no matter what reality you’re in. You’re only good for one thing.”

 

He stuck two fingers in his mouth and sucked them for lubrication. Reached down, he smirked as he let the tip of one finger rest against Querl’s entrance. The Coluan had begun shaking his head rapidly, desperately, and was still making hopeless little noises behind the gag. Lyle pressed his lips against one smooth, green shoulder blade gently and then pushed his finger in.

 

Querl’s eyes went wide as saucers, as though he was just now figuring out what Lyle’s intentions were. He gave a muffled wail and wriggled beneath Lyle, trying to get free. It only excited Lyle further. He added a second finger, stretching Querl quickly and carelessly. It was only his own comfort that he was worried about – this would make penetration easier.

 

By the time Lyle drew his fingers away, Querl had collapsed against the table, chest heaving and breathing erratic. He flinched when Lyle’s erection pressed between his cheeks, looking up at Lyle with wide and frightened eyes.

 

“Scared?” Lyle whispered wickedly. He could practically taste the Coluan’s fear. “And you thought you were getting some positive attention for once, didn’t you?”

 

The hurt shone brightly in Querl’s eyes. To Lyle, it was a thing of beauty. “So helpless,” he whispered, savoring the words as he spoke them. “There’s nothing you can do to stop it, Querl.”

 

He pushed himself in with one harsh thrust, and Querl screamed again, once more muffled by the gag. Sprock, Querl was tight, even after being stretched. The pressure made Lyle’s eyes water a little. He paused, sheathed in the Coluan, to let himself adjust.

 

Querl was softly sobbing, his eyes clenched tightly shut. Grife, Lyle thought, this was way too perfect. His Querl probably wouldn’t have broken down like this. He would have snarled and growled every step of the way. Though he had to admit that this Querl was still tough as nails, his shell was much easier to crack open.

 

Unable to resist any longer, Lyle drew out slowly and then thrust in again, drawing another cry from his victim. Gradually, he set a pace for himself, rocking rhythmically in and out of Querl’s unwilling body. Each thrust was divine, and Lyle soon found himself panting and sweaty as the pleasure rolled through his body.

 

When he got back to his reality, he was going to finally lay down the law with his Querl. There was no reason why couldn’t enjoy his own partner the way he was enjoying this poor, helpless creature. And this one, he was sure, would break easily, but his Querl would last much longer. His Querl would probably give back as much as he got.

 

He gasped when he finally reached his orgasm, spilling into Querl. Exhausted, he collapsed against Querl’s back, and he could feel the fine tremors shaking the Coluan’s body. He smirked when he finally drew away.

 

“At least you’re a good lay,” he sneered as he righted his clothes. “There’s nothing else you can do right, that’s for sure.”

 

It was so easy to push this kid’s buttons. Querl looked like Lyle might as well have punched him in the face. Without Lyle pushing him against the table, the Coluan slowly sank to his knees on the floor, still bound and gagged, his feet tangled in the remains of his uniform.

 

A shimmer in the air caught Lyle’s attention. He grinned as he watched the portal grow. So, his partner had located him after all. He’d have to thank him properly later.

 

“Looks like my ticket out of here, buddy,” he told the trembling form on the floor with a laugh. He reached out and ruffled the Coluan’s hair, making Querl flinch away from him. “Thanks for showing me a good time! I sure hope the other me’s not too pissed at you, though. I wonder what you’ll tell him.”

 

It was with great delight that, as he stepped into the portal, his last sight of this reality was his victim’s agonized expression.

 

End Part I


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Querl wakes up in a hospital bed and remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Rift  
> By: Haiku
> 
> Fandom: Legion of Super-Heroes Reboot  
> Main Characters: Brainiac 5, Lyle Norg (Alternate Universe), Invisible Kid  
> Pairing: Nonconsensual Lyle Norg/Brainiac 5
> 
> Rating: NC 17  
> Warnings: Noncon, violence, dark themes
> 
> Summary: Partners in crime, Querl Dox and Lyle Norg, create a rift that sends Lyle into another dimension, where his partner is a hero known as Brainiac 5. He decides to take advantage of this new Querl.
> 
> Notes: The Brainiac 5 featured here is Reboot’s B5, and the Lyle featured in this chapter is from an alternate dimension of my creation. This was written in response to a request on the DC livejournal kink meme. For those who don’t know, Brainiac 5 = Querl Dox and Invisible Kid = Lyle Norg.

**The Rift**

 **Part II**

 _Stay, hey love, where you going to?_

 _You’re not sleeping anymore, you’re just trying to._

 _Hey, stay love, where you running to?_

 _Awful happens all the time, don’t let it kill you._

 **_Hey Love, Jason Mraz_ **

 

Brainiac 5’s entire universe had been turned upside down on more than one occasion. He was no stranger to life-altering events, or to trauma and fear. Yet, somehow, this was completely different. He had no idea how to cope with what had just transpired. Nor did he have the ability to do anything about his situation, since he was still bound and gagged, and his ring had been smashed to bits, along with his ring finger.

 

His brain was working over time, trying to sort it all out. Lyle had attacked him, had hurt him, but it hadn’t really been Lyle. It was an imposter. Why would someone sneak into his lab, impersonate Lyle, and attack him? It probably had something to do with the wormhole he’d been assigned to containing, but he just wasn’t sure how. Perhaps an alternate reality…

 

The pain was making him dizzy, and he almost hoped he would pass out soon. At least then he wouldn’t be conscious for his suffering. All he could do was wait for someone to come to his lab and find him like this. It made his stomach churn uncomfortably to think of someone seeing the state he was in. He couldn’t make himself proper – he couldn’t hide what had happened. Someone would find him eventually and they would know what had happened.

 

When he heard the doors to the laboratory open, he flinched and shut his eyes tightly. Whoever had entered hadn’t noticed him yet, lying on the floor and out of sight, because their steps were leisurely and unhurried. Or, was it his attacker, come back for more? Querl’s heart pounded in his chest, fear coursing through his body. No, he couldn’t handle it again. He’d rather die.

 

A startled gasp echoed in the room and then he heard Lyle’s voice shout, “Brainy! Oh Grife, what happened?!”

 

Querl opened his eyes when he heard the human fall to his knees close by. Seeing Lyle’s face should have been comforting. Lyle was his best friend. Instead, it made him think of the creature that had pinned him down, forced him…

 

“Hang on, it’ll be okay,” Lyle whispered urgently, working quickly to untie the cruel gag. “Who did this, Brainy? Are you okay?”

 

The gag gone, Querl sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm himself. “It was… I don’t know… Not the real…”

 

He felt pathetic; unable to gather his wits enough to even form a coherent sentence. But he didn’t _want_ to tell Lyle what had happened. He didn’t know what Lyle would think. It was too shameful. He couldn’t force the words out.

 

“Easy does it. You don’t have to talk right now.” Lyle’s voice was so gentle, as well as was his touch as he worked to release Querl’s bonds. “Here, let’s just make you decent,” the boy murmured as he pulled up the remains of Querl’s uniform. It provided at least a little modesty.

 

“Sorry,” Querl whispered. The corners of his mouth were sore from where the gag had rubbed his skin as he screamed. “I… I tried…”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Lyle replied sternly, looking Querl in the eyes. Querl was surprised to see tears glistening in his friend’s eyes. “Don’t apologize for this, Brainy, because it was not your fault. But you’re going to have to tell me how it happened.”

 

Querl nodded his head wearily. “Yes, but not now. Lyle… hurts so much…”

 

His consciousness was starting to fade to black. The pain and the stress were simply too much and his brain wanted his body to shut down and try to recover.

 

How was he supposed to recover from this?

 

\--

 

When he woke again, someone was shining a penlight in his eyes. He blinked and quickly turned his head away, moaning softly as he did so.

 

“Too bright,” he croaked out, weakly lifting a hand to shield his eyes. The penlight was quickly turned off, and he gave a sigh of relief.

 

“I need you to stay awake,” he heard Dr. Gym’ll’s voice saying. “Look at me. Focus on me for a minute.”

 

Reluctantly, he turned his gaze to the doctor. The man was eyeing him worriedly with his lips pursed together in a way that Querl was sure wasn’t good.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Brainiac 5,” Querl slurred, his eyes drifting closed again. “Querl Dox, of Colu.”

 

“Very good. Where are you?”

 

“Medical bay?” Querl asked, wishing the doctor would just let him go back to sleep. “Looks like med bay.”

 

The doctor patted his arm and nodded. “That’s right. Invisible Kid found you in your laboratory. Do you remember that, Querl?”

 

For a minute, Querl wasn’t sure, and then –

 

 _-hands pushing him against his desk, so familiar, but they weren’t right. It had been Lyle there, saying things Lyle would never have said, and he’d actually believed those words but now-_

“I remember,” he whispered around the lump in his throat.

 

The doctor pulled up a chair next to Querl’s bed and sat down in it with a sigh. “How much do you remember of what happened to you?”

 

Querl inhaled sharply. Yes, he remembered all of it, but he didn’t _want to_. Why was Dr. Gym’ll asking about it? Why did he want to know? Querl wanted to block it all out; he had to block it out. It couldn’t stay in his memory, slowly tainting his mind and making him feel like…

 

“Brainiac 5? How much do you remember?”

 

“I… There was an intruder…” Querl’s fingers dug into the bed sheets. “I think he came through that wormhole I was working on.”

 

“Can you describe him?” the doctor asked. “What did he look like? What was he wearing?”

 

He knew he should tell Dr. Gym’ll exactly what happened, but what if… what if it somehow got Lyle in trouble? The imposter had come from another reality. He _was_ Lyle, a different Lyle, and their DNA was probably identical.

 

“Did you do a rape kit?” he asked sharply, looking up at the doctor.

 

“Yes,” Dr. Gym’ll replied calmly. “It’s required by U.P. law, Querl. You know that. We haven’t run any tests on the DNA samples we took yet. I’m supposed to consult with you first. Now, what did your attacker look like?”

 

Querl shook his head. “I don’t know, I didn’t see him,” he said quietly. “But he went back through the wormhole anyway. I believe he was from another reality, Doctor. There’s no point running any tests on the DNA because you won’t get any results. If you compare it to the U.P.’s list of known sex offenders, I can guarantee you won’t get a match.”

 

The doctor didn’t quite believe him. He looked at Querl with narrowed eyes, tapping his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he spoke again. “Sometimes rapists threaten their victims. Maybe he told you that something bad would happen if you told anyone who he was. So I’m asking you, Brainiac – were you threatened?”

 

 _“I sure hope the other me’s not too pissed at you, though. I wonder what you’ll tell him.”_

“Where’s Lyle?” Querl asked. He looked away from Dr. Gym’ll. “I need to talk to him. Can I leave?”

 

“No, you can’t.” The doctor gave him a stern look. “I need you to tell me about the attack. I need to know what happened.”

 

“You know what happened,” Querl growled, glaring back at the doctor. “Why are you asking me about it? You have the rape kit. I was _raped_. What more do you need to know?”

 

Dr. Gym’ll’s expression softened. “I need to know that you’re okay. You’re my responsibility. It’s my job to do everything I can to make sure that you recover and move past this. So, if you want to leave medical bay, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you’re okay.”

 

When Querl said nothing, Dr. Gym’ll gave him a thin smile and stood up. “I’ll tell Invisible Kid you’re awake and he can come and visit you. You’ll stay here until I think your injuries are properly healed. That should only take a couple of days. I’m also taking you off of active duty until you’ve been cleared by Dr. Ryk’rr. Is this all acceptable?”

 

None of it was acceptable. It wasn’t fair. Querl had a life, a job, and friends that he should be helping right now. Instead, he was trapped in this bed, because someone had violated him. He couldn’t make his own decisions about this because he’d been violated. He couldn’t go back to work because he’d been violated.

 

On Colu, sexual assault was nonexistent. Sex was not even very important. Most Coluans did not like to have sex, but deemed it a necessary evil for the continuation of the race. No one talked about sex, unless it was for purely scientific purposes.

 

Everyone on that planet already found Querl Dox to be odd. If they knew he’d been forced to have sex, that he’d been unable to protective himself against it, they would shun him completely.

 

He curled up slowly, his body still sore and stiff. He didn’t want to think about why.

 

“Querl? I asked you if it was acceptable.”

 

A hand suddenly settled on Querl’s shoulder, and for a minute Querl couldn’t breathe. His body tensed up, and his eyes shot open wide.

 

“Querl? Are you alright?”

 

The voice sounded faraway, somehow; distorted and barely understandable. Maybe it was still Dr. Gym’ll, talking to him in med bay, but Querl wasn’t in med bay in that moment. He was somewhere else, somewhere he didn’t want to be, but he wasn’t sure where. All that he knew was that it was dark there, and hands touched, and gripped, and bruised, and he couldn’t get away.

 

A hand connected sharply with his cheek and he came out of the spell with a ragged gasp, sucking in oxygen desperately.

 

“Look at me,” Dr. Gym’ll spoke firmly and Querl reluctantly obeyed. The doctor looked him in the eyes. “What happened just now?”

 

“I… I don’t know,” Querl whispered, suddenly feeling naked and vulnerable. He averted his eyes, as though the doctor might see something of his shame in them.

 

“You have to talk to Dr. Ryk’rr.”

 

Dr. Gym’ll stepped away again, shaking his head. Wearily, Querl closed his eyes and pulled the sheets tighter around him. He felt exhausted – as though his body had been completely worn out and it was time for a new one. The thought made him shudder. Right now, he really did wish he could just shed this body – this desecrated, ruined body – for a new one. Maybe then he’d feel cleaner.

 

At some point, he must have dozed off. He didn’t dream, luckily, and hardly even noticed that he’d been asleep except that voices woke him up. Near his bed, he could hear Dr. Gym’ll talking quietly to someone. He couldn’t make out the words, but it was no great leap of logic to assume that the conversation was about him.

 

He opened his eyes to see who else was there and managed to make out Lyle’s figure through blurry vision. Then the doctor stopped talking and Lyle began walking towards Querl. Querl’s heart skipped a beat but he forced himself to remain calm. This was not the person who had… had hurt him. This was the boy he would trust with his life. This was Lyle.

 

“Hey, Brainy, are you awake?” His friend’s voice was soothing and gentle. Lyle sat down in the chair beside the bed and gazed at Querl solemnly. “Dr. Gym’ll said that you wanted to see me.”

 

Wordlessly, Querl nodded. He wanted to tell Lyle just how much he’d needed to see him, but he couldn’t find the words. He didn’t know what to say.

 

Lyle seemed to understand. He held a hand out to Querl, but didn’t touch him. The corners of Querl’s mouth turned up just a little as he reached out and firmly grasped Lyle’s hand. This was good – not wrong, like the other one’s touch had been. He and Lyle seemed to fit together.

 

“What do you need?” Lyle asked him kindly.

 

Querl licked his dry lips nervously. “Just… if you could stay…”

 

“Of course.” The other boy needed no further invitation. He climbed into the bed with Querl and wrapped his arms around him, providing a warm shelter for Querl to hide behind. “It’s gonna’ be okay. I’m here.”

 

Querl’s eyes were stinging, but he wouldn’t let himself cry. No, he was done with feeling weak. He wasn’t going to cry.

 

But Lyle raised his hand to Querl’s face and gently brushed his knuckles across Querl’s cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispered to Querl. “I promise.”

 

The tears came then – Querl couldn’t stop them. They rolled down his face in streams, while he quietly sobbed against Lyle’s shoulder. All the while, Lyle just held him and whispered kind words to reassure him.

 

When the tears finally stopped, Lyle kissed Querl’s forehead tenderly. “Are you alright now?” he asked.

 

Querl wasn’t sure if he was okay, right then. But he felt that he probably would be in the long run.

 

End Part II


End file.
